Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Free Speech for Christians Upheld in Ohio

There have been quite a few cases of Christians being harassed by police when they publicly proclaim messages against abortion, homosexuality etc. See e.g. here. One hopes that police nationwide will be a bit less likely to do that after a recent case in Ohio upheld the right of anti-abortion campaigners to display images of aborted babies:

" Today, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio, unanimously ruled that a three-hour police detention of law-abiding, pro-life demonstrators presented valid constitutional claims under the First and Fourth Amendments. The Court reversed a lower court's decision in favor of the law enforcement officers.

Robert Muise, the Thomas More Law Center Trial Counsel handling the case, successfully argued that the lengthy detention - so that the FBI could "gather intelligence" on the pro-life demonstrators - violated the demonstrators' Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable police searches and seizures. He further succeeded in showing that the police violated the demonstrators' First Amendment rights by targeting them for disfavored treatment because they were "anti-abortion."

Both freedom to exercise religion and free speech protection were ignored by this judge:

"A new federal court decision in the case of the Philadelphia Eleven could send Christians' free speech rights another step towards extinction, according to group members who have been told police officers had a right to silence their biblical messages at a public homosexual festival.

The decision came in a civil rights lawsuit brought by members of that team, including Repent America director Michael Marcavage, who sued the city and a homosexual-festival sponsor after group members were cleared of criminal charges for their actions at the 2004 "Gay Pride" public street festival in the downtown area.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Stengel dismissed their civil rights claim, concluding that a "permit" granted by the city to the homosexuals allowed police to silence the Christian activists' message on public streets.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Nice that the Governor of Delaware knows more about the climate than her State Climatologist does. Rather good evidence that it is politics rather than science that is involved:

"Gov. Ruth Ann Minner has directed Delaware's state climatologist to stop using his title in public statements on climate change, citing a clash of views on global warming and confusion over the position's ties to the administration.

Minner, who made the directive in a letter, described the move as a way to "clarify" the role of David R. Legates, a prominent skeptic of views that human activities are warming the planet and triggering climate shifts.....

"In light of my position and due to the confusion surrounding your role with the state, I am directing you to offer any future statements on this or other public policy matters only on behalf of yourself or the University of Delaware," Minner wrote, "and not as state climatologist."

"Meeting on the grounds of the former Confederate Capitol, the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously Saturday to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.

Sponsors of the resolution say they know of no other state that has apologized for slavery, although Missouri lawmakers are considering such a measure. The resolution does not carry the weight of law but sends an important symbolic message, supporters said.

"This session will be remembered for a lot of things, but 20 years hence I suspect one of those things will be the fact that we came together and passed this resolution," said Delegate A. Donald McEachin, a Democrat who sponsored it in the House of Delegates

These guys may be hungry for praise but they are not stupid. If they had really said "apologize" that would have been an admission of liability. "Regret" means nothing. We all regret lots of things. I regret the First World War but that does not mean that I apologize for it.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Massachusetts Judge Ignores First Amendment

But discovers a non-existent "diversity" amendment

We read:

"A Federal judge in Boston has dismissed a suit by two families who wanted to stop a Massachusetts town and its public school system from teaching their children about gay marriage, court documents show.

The families last year filed the suit asserting that the reading of a gay-themed book and handing out to elementary school students of other children's books that discussed homosexuality without first notifying parents was a violation of their religious rights.

Federal Judge Mark Wolf ruled yesterday public schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy.'' "Diversity is a hallmark of our nation. It is increasingly evident that our diversity includes differences in sexual orientation,'' he said. ....

A lawyer for the families said they would appeal the ruling, the Boston Globe reported today.

It sounds to me that the judge was "prohibiting the free exercise" of religion. More background here. The chief plaintiff, David Parker, was simply asking to be notified in advance when homosexuality was going to be taught in the school his little kid (aged 5) was attending.

"The Amsterdam authorities have announced that a large cross, which was removed from in front of a supermosque that is currently being built in a western suburb of the city, will be put back in its original place once the construction works are over in a few years' time.

Last week we reported on the decision of the Amsterdam borough of De Baarsjes to permanently remove the white cross which served as a memorial to the Second World War. The cross, with the inscription "Aan hen die vielen" (To those who fell), was situated in front of a place where a huge mosque - the Westermoskee - is currently being built. The cross was removed for the building works, but the authorities decided they would not put it back afterwards and would replace it by a "neutral" memorial, at the price of 50,000 euro.

According to the authorities the cross was offensive to the Muslim and Jewish communities, who had objected to the cross as a war memorial. "The cross is seen as a reference to Christianity. I can understand this," the local (Christian-Democrat) councillor, Jan Voetberg, said.

However, news of the decision led to an outcry, which prompted the local council to renege on its decision.

"The NSW Liberal Party yesterday sacked its candidate for a key marginal seat after learning of an obscene group text message, involving a goat, which he sent to local councillors as a joke....

In his SMS, Mr Pavier sent out a hoax message purporting to be from a video store, alerting customers they had outstanding videos. The list named bogus X-rated movies, one with a title involving indecent acts with a goat....

Mr Pavier was overheard protesting: "It was a joke, you know - a joke. It was an SMS. I sent it to my mates. It had been sent to me and I forwarded it on to some of my mates....

Mr Pavier had sent the offending text to friends over Christmas. It was passed on to fellow Liberal and Labor councillors.

But if they had been dancing nude, THAT would have been constitutionally protected, of course.

And isn't it ironic? The same "food police" who outlaw cupcakes for birthday parties in schools, who search children's lunches for "unhealthy food", discourage just what is needed to cure obesity - the exercise of dancing.

"The Sacramento State women's soccer team will forfeit a preseason game this spring as punishment for an off-campus party in December, Athletics Director Terry Wanless said Thursday....

The "rookie party" gained renewed attention last week when the State Hornet student newspaper published photos from the party that had been published on the popular Web site www.facebook.com. The photos show several freshmen soccer players dressed in costumes with lewd drawings on their faces. Many were photographed laughing and clutching red plastic cups....

Wanless did not detail the reason for the suspensions, other than categorizing it as a violation of the student-athlete code of conduct. The code of conduct bans hazing, initiation rituals and underage drinking.....

There was of course no evidence of hazing, initiation rituals and underage drinking but college disciplinary processes don't bother with silly things like evidence -- as the dreadful Plinton case showed.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

"The Museum of the Confederacy will likely drop the word "Confederacy" from its name when it moves its collection to a new home....

The museum dates to Feb. 22, 1896, when The Confederate Museum opened in the former home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The new name, Rawls said, would depend on the location of the museum. Lexington took a step closer to becoming that place last week when its City Council voted unanimously to enter into nonbinding talks with the Richmond institution.

"A Christian legal group has sued a school district on behalf of a 10-year-old boy who claims his rights to religion and free speech were violated when he was not allowed to wear a Jesus costume during Halloween activities.

The complaint, filed in federal court Tuesday by the Alliance Defense Fund, says officials at Willow Hill Elementary School in suburban Glenside told the boy Oct. 31 that he could not wear his faux crown of thorns or tell others he was dressed as Jesus....

Though the boy's costume was rejected because of its religious nature, the principal allowed other students to dress up as witches and devils, according to the lawsuit, which identified the boy only by his initials.

By contrast, in California playing religious roles in school is compulsory -- as long as the religion is Islam, of course. The 9th Circuit has upheld it too, so it must be right. Now if the kid above could get his case before the 9th Circuit....

"An award-winning TV commercial showing a toddler driving a four-wheel-drive [SUV] has been pulled off the air. The Advertising Standards Board said it had banned the ad for Hyundai's Sante Fe 4WD after more than 80 viewer complaints.

But Hyundai said the ad - an award winner in New Zealand where it was produced - had been "exceptionally popular" and that it was "disappointed" with the board's decision. The ad shows the toddler driving the car, picking up a hitch-hiking girl of similar age, and taking her to a beach.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Must not Criticize Democrat Presidential Candidates?

We read:

"The presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama traded accusations of nasty politics yesterday over Hollywood donor David Geffen, who once backed Bill Clinton but now supports his wife's top rival.

The Clinton campaign demanded Senator Obama denounce comments made by the Dreamworks movie studio founder, who told The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd that while "everybody in politics lies", the former president and his wife "do it with such ease, it's troubling".

"I don't think that another incredibly polarising figure, no matter how smart she is, and no matter how ambitious she is - and God knows, is there anybody more ambitious than Hillary Clinton? - can bring the country together," Mr Geffen said.

The Clinton camp said that by not condemning Mr Geffen for the abuse, Senator Obama was guilty of the "slash and burn" politics he publicly decries and called on him to give back Mr Geffen's $US2300 ($2900) contribution to the Obama campaign.

"South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, has accused the BBC of being racist. The ANC accused the BBC of helping to feed "the deeply embedded stereotype that Africans are genetically inferior" following a news report by John Simpson on the country's escalating crime problem....

Simpson had focused on problem suburbs and the country's 50 murders every day...

The party likened the corporation's attitude to "the most die-hard racists in the country".

I have mentioned before how one very public figure -- Paris Hilton -- can get away with using language that would get any other public figure into big trouble. She is at it again. Watch Video.

I suppose we should be grateful that SOMEBODY is allowed to say what many others think. That it is Paris Hilton who liberates us from censorship is a rather amazing thought, though. I have gone doorknocking in several countries asking people attitude-survey questions and I can vouch for the fact that attitudes such as hers are indeed common -- if expressed anonymously.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

"Internet giant G*ogle has finally caved in to complaints and shut down a controversial weblog on which a death threat against a New Zealand politician was posted.

Authorities in New Zealand have complained to G*ogle for weeks about the cyfs blog, critical of the country's government-run Child Youth and Family (CYF) service. CYF, part of the Ministry of Social Development, is responsible for removing children from homes for care and protection.

The blog, run on G*ogle's blogging platform, had called on people angry at CYF to post messages containing personal information about individual social workers. In January the ministry called in police amid fears the site was putting some of its staff at risk and a complaint was made to G*ogle. Following the complaint the internet company censored postings on the site, but allowed the blog to continue operating.

However, that situation changed yesterday after threats against a politician were posted. With New Zealand's "anti-smacking" Bill going before parliament yesterday - which would make it an offence for parents to strike their children - posts to the blog were critical of Green MP Sue Bradford who introduced the Bill.

One post said Ms Bradford was a "worthy candidate for NZ's first political assassination" and another post called on her home address to be published on the site.

The offending comment was hardly a "death threat" but it does appear to be an advocacy of violence so that could put it apart from other types of comment. Though Muslims are free to advocate violence, of course. Some of them do little else.

The offending comment is recycled on another NZ blog, where the blogger makes the point that a POLITICAL assassination, not a physical assassination was described as desirable.

The site concerned was called cyfswatch.blogspot.com. For those who want to make their own judgment of the rightness or wrongness of what appeared on the site, I have reposted all the recent content on it here. If this blog falls prey to the wrath of G*ogle as a result of my doing so, don't forget my mirror sites

Even extreme libertarians usually concede that it is proper on many occasions for parents to make decisions for their children. And, although both Hitler's Germany and modern Germany seem to believe that there are NO parental rights except what the government allows, I think most Americans would believe that parental responsibility for children comes first and should only very rarely be surrendered to anybody else, including to the government.

And it is a long-standing legal doctrine that school teachers act in loco parentis -- i.e. they act in the place of the parents. So, in theory, teachers cannot do or teach anything that the parents disapprove of. Leftists are continually doing their best to undermine that doctrine, however, -- usually by propagandizing for what many would see as various forms of debauched sexual behaviour.

But at the basis of such controversies is the fundamental judgment that children and adults are in a different situation as far as censorship is concerned. Where censorship of what adults can see and hear might be totally undesirable, keeping some of the same things away from children is a parent's prerogative. The parent is entitled to introduce certain matters to his/her children in his/her own way and at his/her own time.

Exactly that issue is involved in the current controversy about a childrens' book being rejected because it contains the word "scrotum" on page 1. That touches on the parents' right to introduce sex-related matters to their own children in their own way and in their own time.

Fortunately, many schools and school libraries have indeed acted in loco parentis and have declined to purchase or use the book. They have respected the rights of parents in the matter.

Leftists, however, in their usual way have rejected any notion of such rights and called the refusals "censorship". It is indeed censorship but the issue is whether parents have the right to censor what their children read -- and that is a right that many parents value and which conservatives tend to see as fundamental to a parental role.

The Leftist refusal to distinguish parental censorship from other forms of censorship is of course typical of the simplistic, "black-and-white" way they think about most things but it might at least be regarded as a respectworthy viewpoint if they applied it consistently. No-one will be surprised that they do not, however.

Take the still ongoing controversy about the teacher, David Paszkiewicz, who expressed various Christian beliefs in his New Jersey classroom. The ACLU and other Leftists definitely want THAT censored! Christian teaching in class must be censored but teachings about sex must not!

"'Celebrity Big Brother' winner Shilpa Shetty has been accused of racism. The Bollywood star - who was said to be the victim of racist bullying in the Big Brother house - starred in a TV comedy sketch, laughing at an actor with a "blacked-up" face and afro-wig on....

Shilpa appeared on Asian network Zee TV's etc music channel, laughing at the sketch which echoed the 'Black and White Minstrel Show', which was axed in 1978 in Britain after protests against it's alleged racist undertones.

I mentioned Indian actress Shetty on Jan. 19th. It seems that Shetty might have been laughing AT the 'Black and White Minstrel Show'. The 'Black and White Minstrel Show' consisted of popular music sung by white men in black makeup. In less paranoid times it might have been seen as a compliment to the undoubted popularity of black singers.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Orgy of Self-congratulation at Guilford College

Leftists often call Christians "Taleban", "Theocrats", "Ayatollahs" etc. in a stupid claim that Christianity is the same as Islam. But if you call a REAL Muslim any such thing you are very wicked, apparently.

Some football players at Guilford Colege in NC are alleged to have called some Arab students "terrorists". And did the college Left LOVE that. If you have got a strong stomach, you can read how they salivated over it here. They went on and on about it. It was a wonderful excuse for them to go over and over again how marvellous and non-racist and virtuous THEY are! Seeking the appearance of righteousness or "good intentions" is a basic Leftist motive. It helps cover up the hatred of the world that really drives them.

There does seem to have been a real punchup of some kind on the campus but the fact that wicked words were used is what has made the event so exciting. Details here.

That the punchup was minor may be gathered from this statement: "Individuals refused medical treatment immediately after the incident, but at the urging of college staff, received medical attention the following afternoon"

And the Arabs were also apparently egged on to make a complaint to the police and in the police complaint it is claimed that: "two of the Palestinian students were severely injured during the assault".

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Christianity Bad; Prostitution Good

In a clear display of support for Leftist values, the College of William & Mary in Virginia, whose president recently ordered a cross be stripped from the altar of the Wren Chapel, Monday hosted a Sex Workers Art Show. Are THOSE really the priorities that parents would like to see at a taxpayer-supported college?

There is a website here about the whole controversy. The most recent comment on the matter on this blog was on 12th.. There is an extended comment on the matter at STACLU.

"The B.C. government is considering removing four murals under the dome of the B.C. legislature, one of which depicts bare-breasted native women hauling logs and fish for white men -- sparking a debate over whether art is being trumped by political correctness.

The murals, which also show a native being punished before a colonial court and a pair of landscapes celebrating Europeans colonizing the New World as natives look on impassively, were unveiled as high-minded public art 75 years ago.

The B.C. Liberal government is quietly formulating a plan that could see the art removed from the legislature -- or at least hidden from public view. Aboriginal Relations Minister Mike de Jong has been seeking input from native leaders about the fate of George H. Southwell's colourful paintings, which they consider racist, depicting natives at one of their darkest moments in history.

"A Queensland Rail ban on racy magazines for workshop staff has made some editors hot under the collar. The state rail body last month banned rolling stock and component services employees from taking "offensive material" to work.

The directive warned workers they risked their jobs by keeping offensive material in "drawers, under benches and on top of cupboards".

"Some have questioned whether magazines such as Picture, People, FHM and Zoo Weekly . . . constitute inappropriate material," the directive said. "Yes, this type of material is inappropriate for the workplace."...

Monday, February 19, 2007

Use of `Mom' and `Dad' Too "Homophobic", Scottish Nurses Told

We read:

"Nurses and other health care professionals should avoid using the terms `mom' and `dad' to refer to family relationships since the terms could be offensive to homosexual couples with children, a new directive published by Scotland's National Health Service recommends.

Issued in conjunction with the country's leading homosexual activist organization Stonewall Scotland, the publication is entitled Fair For All - The Wider Challenge: Good LGBT Practice in the NHS. Americans for Truth reported Feb.11 on the publication's release.

The booklet calls for a "zero-tolerance policy to discriminatory language" among Scotland's health care system. Included in discriminatory language is the use of terms that assume a traditional family structure of mother, father and children, according to the NHS directive....

Along the same lines, the directive points out, use of the terms `husband', `wife' and `marriage' is not acceptable since such terms exclude lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Instead, health care workers should use the terms `partners' and `next of kin'. Since `next of kin' is often understood to mean nearest blood relative, however, the booklet recommends that it may be preferable to use `partner, close friend or close relative' to avoid confusion.

"A German court on Thursday convicted far-right activist Ernst Zundel and sentenced him to five years in prison for Holocaust denial in a case that underlined Germany's determination to prosecute people who claim the Nazis didn't murder six million Jews.

The 67-year-old Zundel, who was deported from Canada in 2005, was convicted on 14 counts of inciting hatred for years of anti-Semitic activities, including contributing to a Web site devoted to denying the Holocaust -- a crime in Germany.

Zundel, who has also lived in Tennessee, and his supporters argued that he was a peaceful campaigner being denied his right to free speech.

Prosecutors in Germany were able to bring charges because the Web site is accessible there.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Bureaucrats and politicians to kill Indian references at U Illinois

What the students want does not matter, of course:

"Sources within the University and close to the Chief tradition said Thursday that Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence Eppley intended to single-handedly retire Chief Illiniwek Friday under pressure from Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones.

A student government member said, based on his conversations with University administrators, Eppley was the driving force behind the move to retire the Chief.

"The conversation I have had with University administrators, I got the impression that it's a very top-down decision," the student official said. "I know that there is a meeting - that the board has scheduled interviews at 6:15 in the morning (Friday), so I imagine that's the time they will make their official announcement.

"My understanding is that they are going to remove the dance, keep the name and give the symbol to not-for-profit organizations for scholarships." ....

Rumors have been flying on campus about the future of Chief Illiniwek in the recent weeks, especially after the Jan. 17 resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the Oglala Sioux tribe demanding the University return Chief Illiniwek's regalia.

A small victory for free expression on the internet and a knockback for all those who want to blame anybody but the guilty party for things that go wrong:

"A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the social networking Web site MySpace filed by the family of a 13-year-old girl who says she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man she met online. The $30 million lawsuit accused the site of having no measures to protect children who use it. The lawsuit also named MySpace's parent company, News Corp., and the 19-year-old, whose criminal case has not yet gone to trial."

"In a letter sent to Senator John McCain, a coalition of nearly 20 grassroots, legal and public policy organizations today emphatically expressed their opposition to any attempts by the Arizona Senator and Presidential hopeful to further muzzle political speech. ... The letter points to the irony of Senator McCain's plans, as it notes that the very 527 organizations the Senator now seeks to silence are a direct consequence of the McCain-Feingold legislation passed by Congress in 2002."

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Beady Eyes on Another Fancy-Dress Party

Having a private fancy-dress party and circulating pictures of it seems to be an increasingly risky thing to do these days. Some students at Cal State U Sacramento (the women's soccer team) did so and it even got referred to the police. Why? Apparently because some students in the pictures had bad words like "bitch" written on their bodies with marker pens. The fact that all the pictures show nothing more than a group of kids having fun seems not to matter.

A millionaire who donated a fortune to education and setting up parks should be a pretty big hero to the Green/Left, right? California real-estate tycoon C.W. Goethe (a German name pronounced as "gerta") of the 1930s falls into that category and he has indeed for some time had a few things named after him there -- including a school.

Friday, February 16, 2007

The Amazing Leftist Dream that THEY are censored

Look at the Leftist cartoon below:

Leftists have control of most of the mainstream media and the universities yet they think that they are being SILENCED! One might at times wish that they would shut up but silenced they never have been.

As Dr Sanity points out, their self-image as persecuted lonely heroes speaking up against the misguided world is something that they psychologically NEED rather than something that has any correspondence with reality.

"On Thursday morning, in a special session being held at the Stanford University Law School campus a critical First Amendment case is being argued before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case deals squarely with the issue of whether Christians have a right to use neutral language in the workplace to talk about same-sex marriage and other issues at the forefront of national debate.

Attorneys Scott Lively and Richard D. Ackerman will be arguing the case before the Ninth Circuit on behalf of an African-American Christian woman who was threatened with termination at her job with the City of Oakland. The City of Oakland claims that references to the "natural family, marriage and family values" constitute hate speech which is scary to city workers....

Messrs. Lively and Ackerman said the case is significant, because a decision against the employees could silence debate about homosexuality and related issues in the entire Western United States since the Ninth Circuit controls a large region of the United States and its rulings are binding on millions of employees whose speech is subject to punishment by employers who promote agendas that defy Judeo- Christian values.....

Attorney Richard Ackerman says, "This case has the potential to make a horrible judicial edict that suggests that the only thoughts and words allowed in a public workplace are those that support the homosexual agenda. The city of Oakland has interpreted this district court's ruling to mean that Christianity has no place in our society and should be subject to punishment. I want to believe that our Supreme Court will ultimately decide this case on the values and instructions set forth in motion by the nation's Founders."

Thursday, February 15, 2007

"A Belgian court has ruled that Google may not reproduce extracts from a variety of Belgian newspapers, endangering one of the web search leader's most popular services if other courts follow suit.

The case was brought by Copiepresse, which manages copyrights for Belgium's French- and German-language newspapers and has also demanded that the French division of internet portal Yahoo stop displaying Belgian press reports....

The Belgian court today upheld an existing injunction, although reduced the penalty that Google would face if it chose to publish material from a variety of Belgian French- and German-language newspapers."

Google muzzles its own services enough without lawsuits doing it as well. For better or for worse, Google is a major conduit for ideas and information and anything that restricts the flow is bad for us all.

The whole case is pretty weird, though. Lots of people make great efforts to get more prominence in Google search results. Getting yourself excluded from Google looks like foot-shooting to me. I think I smell a whiff of anti-Americanism in it. Lots of French-speaking Belgians are some of the craziest Leftists around.

Most readers by now will be aware that Democrat Presidential hopeful John Edwards put on his staff two Christianity-hating bloggers. Their extreme abuse of Christianity and Christians was widely protested -- by Catholics in particular -- and one of them, Amanda Marcotte, eventually resigned under that pressure.

But, as at the time of writing this, one was still employed by Edwards: Melissa McEwan. In one of her blog posts, she referred to religious conservatives as President Bush's "wingnut Christofascist base." If that's not hate speech and biogotry what would be? What would happen if someone referred to certain homosexual groups as the Democrat "wingnut AnalFascist base"? No need to guess, is there?

But Leftist hate speech is OK, apparently. That a Democrat as prominent as Edwards persists with employing a hater like McEwan shows that all the Democrat huffing and puffing about hate speech is pure hypocrisy. They don't care about hate speech at all. They just use it as a stick to attack Christians and conservatives with.

Details here and here. And Don Surber comments on Marcotte's claim that she is a "victim". Conservatives who break Leftist rules about speech are expected to apologize for it but there has been no apology from Marcotte.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Hypocritical Leftist Censorship Attempt

The recent criticism of Obama by Australian Prime Minister John Howard has got a lot of publicity. In true Leftist form, Leftists have not generally attempted to dispute the truth of what Howard said but, in their usual way, have argued that he should not have discussed the matter at all. Howard has been said to be "intervening in another country's affairs".

Yet Leftists worldwide never cease criticizing GWB. Is that not "intervening in another country's affairs"? Howard himself made that point in a reply to Leftists in Australia's parliament. He said:

"I don't apologise for criticising Senator Obama's observation because I thought what he said was wrong," he said, accusing the Labor leader of 'double standards'. 'Apparently it is in order for any number of people in the Labor Party to regularly attack George Bush, to regularly attack the American administration,' Mr Howard said. 'That is OK, but dare anybody criticise somebody who might agree with them on Iraq and then somehow or other I am interfering in the domestic politics of the United States.'"

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Illegal Magazines?

We read:

"Amazon.com says it will keep selling two magazines about cockfighting, despite plans by the Humane Society of the United States to file a lawsuit Thursday accusing the company of operating an illegal "animal-fighting paraphernalia sale and distribution scheme." ....

The Humane Society said it would file the lawsuit Thursday morning in District of Columbia Superior Court. The organization originally threatened to sue Amazon.com Inc. last July, saying the company was violating the federal Animal Welfare Act by offering The Feathered Warrior and The Gamecock, two cockfighting magazines.

Seattle-based Amazon.com said the magazines are legal and would continue to be sold on its Web site. Refusing to sell books or magazines simply because their messages may offend is censorship, spokeswoman Patty Smith said.....

In De Queen, Arkansas, "Feathered Warrior" owner-editor Verna Dowd, 77, said the Humane Society's legal threats are too heavy-handed. "The Humane Society are crazy people," Dowd said. "They want total control, evidently, over everything people do or think or says, or anything. I don't know what's wrong with them."

It is an old tradition for students to write outrageous things in their student newspaper just for fun and provocation rather than out of any serious intent. But in the humorless, mollycoddled atmosphere at PC universities today, many students seem unable to tell the difference -- as a satirical article about rape in the student newspaper of Central Connecticut State University revealed:

"The article, written by opinion editor John Petroski, details several "benefits" that rape has made to civilization over the years. The article describes rape as a "magical experience" that has been a blessing to "ugly women."

"If it weren't for rape, how would they ever know the joy of intercourse with a man who isn't drunk?" the article asks.

Student editors at the paper said the article was meant to be a satirical jab at the sensationalistic nature of the modern news media. But dozens of students said the article fell well short of being funny. Instead, they said, it caused deep pain for those who have already been raped, and that it reinforced age-old, misogynistic stereotypes.....

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Jack Miller, university president, said the article crossed the lines of journalistic freedom.

Miller said he planned to convene a panel of students and faculty in the coming weeks to discuss the issue, but he stopped short of taking any action against Petroski or the paper's editors and faculty advisers.... "We need to be sure that students understand that such hateful speech is not protected and simply is not worthy, on any ground, of publication."

"Not protected" -- says who? Another university official who thinks he is the Supreme Court. Leftists can chant: "Hate-speech is not free speech" all they like but that still does not inject such a definition into the 1st Amendment. And a good thing for them that is too. With their furious hatred of America, Israel, Christians and conservatives, Leftist speech would be a big target for an anti-hate-speech law.

Monday, February 12, 2007

College Cross Controversy

We read:

"Some alumni at the College of William & Mary are withholding financial support from the school until a decision to take down a historic cross from the chapel is reversed. Published reports say the school's board of visitors meets tomorrow and is being urged to overrule the decision removing the Wren Chapel cross.

School President Gene Nichol ordered it taken down last fall - saying he wanted the chapel to be more open to people of all faiths.

"The Oregon state climatologist may lose his title because he does not accept the theory that humans are the main cause of global climate change. A Portland TV station is reporting that Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski wants the title taken away from George Taylor - who insists natural cycles explain most of the planet's climate changes.

Taylor is a climatologist with Oregon State University - which gave him the title of state climatologist. The governor is seeking the authority to appoint his own climatologist - and says it's important to have one that agrees with the state's goals of reducing greenhouse gasses".

Sunday, February 11, 2007

OK to Stomp American Flag but Bad to Stomp Terrorist Flag?

Stomping and burning American flags is a favourite Leftist activity worldwide. And, although that is obnoxious to most Americans, (It is meant to be), it has long been held that such behaviour is legally protected by the 1st Amendment. So what if conservatives decide to stomp a terrorist flag? Ah! THAT is different! Or so we are told:

"This story starts with an "anti-terrorism rally" held last October on campus by the College Republicans. To emphasize their point, students stomped on Hezbollah and Hamas flags. According to the college paper, the Golden Gate (X)Press, members of Students Against War and the International Socialist Organization showed up to call the Republicans "racists," while the president of the General Union of Palestinian Students accused the Repubs of spreading false information about Muslims.

A student filed a complaint with the Office of Student Programs and Leadership Development. OSPLD Director Joey Greenwell wrote to the College Republicans informing them that his office had completed an investigation of the complaint and forwarded the report to the Student Organization Hearing Panel, which will adjudicate the charge.

The Leftists haven't got a legal leg to stand on in the matter but what happens on American college campuses often is legally unfounded anyway, if not outright illegal. Taranto has a comment on the matter too.

"Long Island University has fired five students from their positions as resident assistants at the C.W. post campus after they posted a fake hostage video on the Internet with the pretend hostage takers speaking in Middle Eastern accents.

"This is not an issue of free speech, but rather an issue of respect for others and insensitively to acts of violence," university Provost Joseph Shenker said in a statement obtained by FOXNews.com

In the video, five figures in ski masks speak in crude Middle Eastern accents as they threaten a 'captive' - a rubber duck named 'Pete' that serves as the mascot of a residence hall at the campus....

The video was accompanied by a statement saying it was a joke, but university administrators saw it as insensitive, Newsday reported.

"The editors of a French magazine which re-published the Danish cartoons of Islam's prophet Muhammad will begin defending their right to free speech in a French court this week.

The satirical magazine, the Charlie Hebdo, is being sued by French Muslim organisation in the trial that opens in Paris on Wednesday.

The Grand Mosque of Paris and the Union of French Islamic Organisations accuse Charlie Hebdo of inciting racial hatred by reprinting the caricatures that sparked violence in the Muslim world last year.

Philippe Val, publisher of the magazine, has depicted the trial as a defence of free speech.

It will be interesting to see how far the traditional French proclamation of devotion to liberty stretches on this occasion. Will French Islamophila trump it? France does have some very Islamophilic laws and judges. You can't even give away pork soup in France without running into legal trouble.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

"The state would formally apologize for permitting more than 140 years of slavery under a proposal that would make Missouri one of the first in the country to make such a move.

The resolution, which details the history of Missouri slavery, states that "an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot ease the past, but confession of the wrongs can speed racial healing and reconciliation."

Rep. Talibdin El-Amin said Missouri should be one of the first states to apologize for slavery because the Dred Scott case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court cited the Constitution in a ruling that upheld slavery, originated in Missouri.

How can anybody apologize for something they did not do? Maybe under the Soviet system you sometimes had to but under a Western legal system I am not responsible for anything my grandfather did nor is anybody else. One can of course express regret about what others do or did but that is not an apology. An apology assumes that I myself did something wrong. What did the present inhabitants of Missouri do wrong?

"The Traditional Values Coalition warned that Pelosi is beginning her "tyrannical reign" with an aggressive plan to "muzzle" conservative groups through lobby reform.

According to TVC, Pelosi plans to attack the First Amendment right of conservative groups to freely lobby Members of Congress. Her plan is part of the Democrats' "lobby reform" legislation that she hopes to push through Congress within a few weeks....

TVC said the "draconian" legislation will require all groups that communicate with the grassroots -- even as few as 500 supporters -- to fill out "onerous" government reporting forms detailing the group's expenditures, the issues the group is focusing on, and the federal officials who are targeted for lobbying. A separate disclosure report would be required for each policy issue that the group is advocating. The legislation would impose severe civil and potentially criminal penalties against groups that fail to register, report or omit some required information in their reports, TVC said.

Conservatives see the legislation as a "thinly veiled" attempt to muzzle them, since the bill "cleverly exempts" trade unions and corporations from reporting when and what they communicate with their members

David Irving got a jail sentence of 3 years in Austria for expressing his opinion about the holocaust. So what did an actual violent antisemite get for real attacks?

"An Austrian court sentenced a 24-year-old Croatian man to 15 months in jail on Wednesday for smashing up a Jewish school with a crowbar in an anti-Semitic rampage last year. The man, whose name was not released pending a possible appeal, told the court "there are two many Jews in this country" and justice officials said his failure to show any remorse for the attack contributed to the jail sentence.

Friday, February 09, 2007

In Defense of "24"

We read:

"I am an Arab-American as well as a fan of "24." The two things are not mutually exclusive, despite what the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other such groups have to say about this season's opening episodes possibly increasing anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice in American society.

Most of the terrorists represented in "24" through the years have been Arab Muslims. Why? Well, probably because most terrorists today are, in fact, Arab Muslims. As a descendant of Syrian Muslims, I am very well aware that the majority of Muslims world-wide are peaceful, hard working, and law abiding. That still does not change the fact that the greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. today comes not from the ETA, the IRA, etc., but from one group: Islamic terrorists.

And this is what makes "24" a compelling drama every week. Instead of pretending Islamic terrorists don't exist, the show presents frighteningly real worst-case scenarios perpetrated by Osama bin Laden's followers. So CAIR thinks it's over the top for the terrorists in "24" to blow up Los Angeles with a nuke? Please, if bin Laden and his crew had nukes, most of us would be way too dead to argue over such points

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Connecticut: More Flag Hatred

We read:

"Her son is fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, but one Connecticut mother is waging a war of her own over her right to fly Old Glory on her front lawn.

Teresa Richard's condo association in this community north of Hartford wants an American flag and a Blue Star Mothers of America flag removed from her front lawn, along with the flagpole upon which they hang......

Another resident, Gene Doering, has been flying his flag on a 13-foot pole in the condominium complex for five years. "They wrote me a letter and said they wanted me to take the flag down," Doering told FOXNews.com. "Well, I refused to take the flag down."

The former National Guardsman hired a lawyer instead and after three months of pestering, the association let him be, Doering said. "It's kind of small for the association to waste so much time doing something like that," Doering said. "

"Under a European Union directive tabled this week, anyone found denying or even questioning the official history of the Holocaust or recent conflicts in Africa and the Balkans could be punished with up to three years in jail....

The benchmark set by the legislation is that the "minimisation" of genocidal crimes must be borne out of "racist and xenophobic motives". Exactly what qualifies as "racist and xenophobic" is anyone's guess, as is the reason why "racist and xenophobic" minimisation of such crimes is deplorable but minimisation for other means is not....

Whatever the truth, such scholarly debate would be severely damaged and perhaps even stopped altogether under the new legislation. The pursuit of truth would be cast aside in favour of an unconditional acceptance of the official account of events, and the citizenry's right to free speech would be completely trampled upon.

This view is echoed by scholars such as Lipstadt, who believes that the facts should stand for themselves. "When you pass these kinds of laws it suggests to the uninformed bystander that you don't have the evidence to prove your case."...

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

"Super Bowl XLI had been hyped as a major social milestone in U.S. history, since for the time, the head coaches of both teams were black.

During the nationally televised post-game show on CBS, coach Tony Dungy was asked specifically about the "social significance."

Jim Nantz of CBS Sports: This is one of those moments, Tony, where there is also social significance in this victory, and to have your hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Tell me what this means to you right now.

Tony Dungy: I'll tell you what. I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything, I've said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way. And we're more proud of that.

The Associated Press reported Dungy's comments about God in stories it moved on its wire service, but the Bloomberg News Service only published the portion regarding African-Americans, and edited out the mention of Christian coaches.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Apparently the Tote Bag Amendment could not be found in the Constitution after all:

"A judge has dismissed a lawsuit claiming the Angels discriminated against men by giving tote bags to women during a Mother's Day baseball game.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Cannon ruled Thursday that the giveaway was not biased against men and that the May 8, 2005 event was a way to honor mothers.

The lawsuit, filed by Los Angeles psychologist Michael Cohn, claimed thousands of men and fans under age 18 were each entitled to $4,000 in damages because they were treated unfairly. Women over 18 received the gifts that day.

The guy concerned sounds rather pathetic. Or maybe he just thought he had found a way to cash in on his "hurt". His only achievement is that the organization has now halted its attempts to honor mothers. I mentioned the case last May 18

"The Saudi-funded Muslim lobby has found a new target: a conservative broadcaster that warns of terrorist plots against the United States. Arab and Muslim groups have launched a campaign to block the hiring of Glenn Beck as a commentator on ABC's "Good Morning America." The Arab American Institute, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Muslim Public Affairs Council, said Mr. Beck engages in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric and his hiring would incite hatred....

In a Jan. 18 letter, ABC President David Westin appeared to rule out any reversal of his decision to hire Mr. Beck. But he said "Good Morning America" senior executive producer Jim Murphy would be in touch with the organizers to discuss how ABC would respond to any statements by Mr. Beck that would anger the Muslim lobbyists.

The Leftist Media Matters site has some grumbles about the above report but carefully avoids to tackle the free speech issues involved. They probably don't believe there are any -- except for themselves, of course.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Democrat Racism Shows

The mask slips sometimes -- when the Leftist is angry, particularly:

"A Democratic love-fest came to a screeching halt Friday after a high-ranking Hispanic party official abruptly resigned amid allegations he used a racial slur during a heated argument with a black aide to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. Alvaro Cifuentes was chairman of the DNC's Hispanic Caucus and is well-known in national Hispanic Democratic circles.

Cifuentes was attending the DNC's winter meeting in Washington, D.C., on Friday when he and the aide got into an argument. It's not clear what started the fight, but sources said Cifuentes called the aide, who is black, "boy" twice during the confrontation...

Asked if Dean forced Cifuentes to resign his post, Finney said: "Gov. Dean and Alvaro had a private meeting this afternoon. Following that meeting, Alvaro attended the Hispanic Caucus meeting, [and] submitted his resignation. It was accepted by the caucus."

There is so little real racism and bigotry practised in the USA today that Leftists often make some up to give themselves a buzz of righteousness. Several such instances have been noted on this blog in the past. The latest such episode is below. At least this time they did not lie about what they were doing:

"Students were treated to free pizza in the Student Union on Thursday afternoon, courtesy of the UB NAACP. Where they were allowed to sit, however, was based on race and ethnicity.

The NAACP hosted an event called the "Segregated Cafe" a simulation of past eras in which segregation existed in the United States. The mock-up featured a restaurant setting with separate dining tables and serving areas for minority and white students.

"Four black teenagers convicted in the racially charged beating of three white women on Halloween were sentenced to probation Friday. Punishment could have ranged up to confinement in a California Youth Authority lockup until age 25.

The sentences were handed down by Juvenile Court Judge Gibson Lee, who last week convicted nine teens - eight female and one male - of felony assault, with a hate-crime enhancement against all but one.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Equal treatment (of a sort) for whites and blacks! Blacks not to use the n-word either. Who'd a thunk it?

"The city council is considering a symbolic resolution calling for New Yorkers to stop using the n-word, and supporters say Black History Month is a relevant time to call attention to the racial slur.

Queens Councilman Leroy Comrie spearheaded the nonbinding measure before the New York City Council Thursday. He appeared with hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow Walker on Thursday and said the slur has gained a level of acceptance among entertainers and youths that is troubling.

"So I challenge the hip-hop community, I challenge you to abolish that word during the month of February - Black History Month - and beyond," Walker said.

For centuries, the slur has been used to humiliate and degrade blacks, but more recently it also has become a term of endearment and camaraderie among some.

Hip-hop culture in particular has been singled out for its use of the word in music and entertainment, which some say is helping convince an entire generation that the word is acceptable....

"A Muslim man has been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred at a London protest against newspaper cartoons that depicted the prophet Mohammed.

Abdul Saleem, 31, from east London, was found guilty of using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour at a 300-strong demonstration outside the Danish embassy in central London in February last year.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

A "Right" to Spray Political Graffiti on Government Property?

I'm guessing that if Christians had tried it, the "right" would have disappeared. Maybe some Christians should try it:

"Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill. According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."...

Morse responded to these claims in an e-mail Sunday afternoon explaining that the protesters were seeking confrontation with the police. "While there were minor instances of spray painting of pavement by a splinter group of Anarchists who were seeking a confrontation with the police, their attempts to breach into secure areas and rush the doors of the Capitol were thwarted," Morse said. "The graffiti was easily removed by the dedicated [Architect of the Capitol] staff, some of whom responded on their day off to quickly clean the area."

He added, "It is the USCP's duty and responsibility to protect the Capitol complex, staff and public while allowing the public to exercise their First Amendment rights

"As an audiotape spread on the Internet, Alabama coach Nick Saban acknowledged Wednesday using a phrase considered derogatory to Cajuns but said he doesn't condone such language and merely was repeating something a friend told him..... Saban told of the friend's encounter with an LSU fan, who speaks in a Cajun dialect.

"He was walking down the street yesterday before the Sugar Bowl," Saban said on the taped comments. "He calls me. There was a guy working in the ditch, one of those coonass guys that talk funny. "I can't talk like them, but he can. Most people in Louisiana can."

I gather that Cajuns are whites so somebody has goofed. Everybody knows you can't offend whites -- only "minorities".

A reader writes: "Living a mere hour from New Orleans, married to a woman hailing from Louisiana, and a graduate of LSU, I have never heard someone take offense at the term. My in-laws usually refer to themselves as coonasses...but the PC bunch take offense at everything"

Interesting that the term "Cajun" was once derogatory -- but no longer is. Whether a name is derogatory or not does seem to depend on whether the people concerned feel badly about being in that category. The term "reptiles of the press" was coined as a derogatory description of journalists but many journalists in Australia and Britain liked the term and now cheerfully refer to themselves as "reptiles".

A Republican who made that remark would be doomed forever but Biden is getting publicity about it only because he is a Presidential candidate. Presidents have to be super-correct and other candidates will pick up on the slightest fault.

"First it was Franklin Graham. Now Windsor's Theological Institute and Campbell Baptist Church have joined the anti-Islam crusade. They are presenting a series of lectures under the general heading, "The deadly threat of Islam." The first one was entitled, "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Frightening Facts about Islam." The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) and other Muslim groups have called upon police to investigate whether a hate crime has been committed....

More than 120 people, including members of Windsor's Muslim community, packed the church last Thursday to hear Lebanese-born Anani - who is not a member of the congregation - say that Islam is a religion of war being brought to Canadian soil. He also said that Islam teaches "ambushing, seizing and slaying" of non-believers, especially Christians and Jews. Many attendees challenged Anani's views in a heated debate.

Canada does not give the same leeway to speech that the United States does. It bans hate speech. In this case, as with Graham, it appears that to make a case it would be necessary to show that the speech constituted an attack on Muslims, not just on the religion Islam. Pastor Donald McKay, the minister at Campbell Baptist Church, may have crossed the line.

Whether the remarks of those involved violate the law or not, they have been denounced by Member of Parliament Joe Comartin and by a Windsor City Counsellor, Ron Jones. Comartin called Pastor McKay's remarks "bigotry."

"Jesus does indeed love Osama bin Laden, but a controversial Sydney church sign saying so is misleading, says Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen. The sign "Jesus Loves Osama" outside a number of local churches, including some Anglican, also features a Bible extract saying, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you".

Archbishop Jensen said he had not been involved in any decision to display the signs and had reservations about them. "I'm hesitant about it frankly, it's a bit misleading," he said on Southern Cross radio. "I say to myself, `If I were a relative of one of the victims of Osama's activities, I might take affront at this'."

Archbishop Jensen said he understood what the sign was trying to say, that Christianity taught loving everyone - even the al-Qaeda head. "There is a truth in it (but) what we've got to say is, Jesus doesn't approve of Osama, it makes it sounds like, `Oh, Osama's doing the right thing."

Thursday, February 01, 2007

"Gangsta" Party Insults all Blacks??

So all blacks are gangsters??

"Pictures posted on the Internet of a party showing white students dressed to mimic stereotypes of black people is bringing Clemson University unwanted attention. In the aftermath of the event, Clemson University officials are meeting with students....

Pictures reportedly posted on Facebook, a social networking Internet site, show white Clemson students at a party in fake gang apparel. A student is pictured with his body covered in black paint. Students also are shown drinking what appears to be malt liquor. One female appears in the photos to have padded her buttocks.

The students involved in organizing the event said it was a theme party, and they did not relate the theme to the timing of the event around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ms. Denny said. School officials have heard from some students involved that the party theme was "gangsta," Ms. Richardson said.

While the actions of those at the party were "distasteful and not meeting standards of integrity and respect," they on the surface do not violate any university policies or, therefore, merit disciplinary action against students, Ms. Richardson said.

The attacks on Christian expression never cease. Only the excuses vary:

"A censored version of the film The Queen in which all references to God were taken out has been removed from Qantas flights. The Oscar-nominated film starring Helen Mirren, which had the word "God" removed, was being screened on Qantas long-haul flights until the mistake was picked up. "God" was bleeped out seven times during the film, which centres on the Queen's relationship with Tony Blair in the weeks after the death of Princess Diana....

The company said an overzealous young employee removed "God" after being asked to delete all swear words. Management claimed he failed to distinguish between the religious significance of the term and its use as a profanity.

Is the American national anthem politically incorrect? From the 4th verse:Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

Mohammad

The truth can be offensive to some but it must be said

"HATE SPEECH" is free speech: The U.S. Supreme Court stated the general rule regarding protected speech in Texas v. Johnson (109 S.Ct. at 2544), when it held: "The government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable." Federal courts have consistently followed this. Said Virginia federal district judge Claude Hilton: "The First Amendment does not recognize exceptions for bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance or ideas or matters some may deem trivial, vulgar or profane."

Even some advocacy of violence is protected by the 1st Amendment. In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held unanimously that speech advocating violent illegal actions to bring about social change is protected by the First Amendment "except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."

The double standard: Atheists can put up signs and billboards saying that Christianity is wrong and that is hunky dory. But if a Christian says that homosexuality is wrong, that is attacked as "hate speech"

One for the militant atheists to consider: "...it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg" -- Thomas Jefferson

"I think no subject should be off-limits, and I regard the laws in many Continental countries criminalizing Holocaust denial as philosophically repugnant and practically useless – in that they confirm to Jew-haters that the Jews control everything (otherwise why aren’t we allowed to talk about it?)" -- Mark Steyn

Voltaire's most famous saying was actually a summary of Voltaire's thinking by one of his biographers rather than something Voltaire said himself. Nonetheless it is a wholly admirable sentiment: "I disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I am of a similar mind.

The traditional advice about derogatory speech: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you". Apparently people today are not as emotionally robust as their ancestors were.

Why conservatives should not respond to Leftist abuse: "Never wrestle with a pig, because you'll both just get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

The KKK were members of the DEMOCRATIC party. Google "Klanbake" if you doubt it

A phobia is an irrational fear, so the terms "Islamophobic" and "homophobic" embody a claim that the people so described are mentally ill. There is no evidence for either claim. Both terms are simply abuse masquerading as diagnoses and suggest that the person using them is engaged in propaganda rather than in any form of rational or objective discourse.

Leftists often pretend that any mention of race is "racist" -- unless they mention it, of course. But leaving such irrational propaganda aside, which statements really are racist? Can statements of fact about race be "racist"? Such statements are simply either true or false. The most sweeping possible definition of racism is that a racist statement is a statement that includes a negative value judgment of some race. Absent that, a statement is not racist, for all that Leftists might howl that it is. Facts cannot be racist so nor is the simple statement of them racist. Here is a statement that cannot therefore be racist by itself, though it could be false: "Blacks are on average much less intelligent than whites". If it is false and someone utters it, he could simply be mistaken or misinformed.

Categorization is a basic human survival skill so racism as the Left define it (i.e. any awareness of race) is in fact neither right nor wrong. It is simply human

Whatever your definition of racism, however, a statement that simply mentions race is not thereby racist -- though one would think otherwise from American Presidential election campaigns. Is a statement that mentions dogs, "doggist" or a statement that mentions cats, "cattist"?

If any mention of racial differences is racist then all Leftists are racist too -- as "affirmative action" is an explicit reference to racial differences

Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? "You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated." -- Spoken at the White House to a group of black community leaders, August 14th, 1862

Gimlet-eyed Leftist haters sometimes pounce on the word "white" as racist. Will the time come when we have to refer to the White House as the "Full spectrum of light" House?

The spirit of liberty is "the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." and "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it." -- Judge Learned Hand

Mostly, a gaffe is just truth slipping out

Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.

It seems a pity that the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus is now little known. Remember, wrote the Stoic thinker, "that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away."

"Since therefore the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more safely, and with less danger, scout into the regions of sin and falsity than by reading all manner of tractates, and hearing all manner of reason?" -- English poet John Milton (1608-1674) in Areopagitica

Leftists can try to get you fired from your job over something that you said and that's not an attack on free speech. But if you just criticize something that they say, then that IS an attack on free speech

The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) could have been speaking of much that goes on today when he said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

I despair of the ADL. Jews have enough problems already and yet in the ADL one has a prominent Jewish organization that does its best to make itself offensive to Christians. Their Leftism is more important to them than the welfare of Jewry -- which is the exact opposite of what they ostensibly stand for! Jewish cleverness seems to vanish when politics are involved. Fortunately, Christians are true to their saviour and have loving hearts. Jewish dissatisfaction with the myopia of the ADL is outlined here. Note that Foxy was too grand to reply to it.

There are also two blogspot blogs which record what I think are my main recent articles here and here. Similar content can be more conveniently accessed via my subject-indexed list of short articles here or here (I rarely write long articles these days)

NOTE: The archives provided by blogspot below are rather inconvenient. They break each month up into small bits. If you want to scan whole months at a time, the backup archives will suit better. See here or here